It’s worth remembering that nutritional deficiencies in general could be the cause of your dry skin. A diet lacking in certain nutrients, such as essential fatty acids, can also be a contributing factor.
5. Alcohol and caffeine consumption
Both alcohol and caffeine are diuretics and this essentially means that they increase the product of urine. Dr Catherine Carney from Private Addiction Rehab Clinic, Delamere says: “Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning that when consumed, it can cause the body to remove fluids from the blood via the body’s renal system at a faster rate.”
This is why when you’re on a night out drinking, you can ‘break the seal’ and need to go more often than if you were drinking water throughout the day. The extra production of urine causes the body to lose fluids more quickly than usual and as a result, our body is then stripped of moisture and the skin may become dehydrated, leading to dryness, dullness and flakiness.
6. You’re not drinking enough water
An obvious one, but drinking enough water is an issue that lots of us struggle to keep on top of. “To really hydrate well, the average person should consume approximately two to three litres of water per day”, says Dr Michael Barnish, Medical Director for REVIV UK. “This is water and not tea, coffee, juice or alcohol, which actually dehydrates the body, meaning we may need more water per day to keep hydrated.” So start sipping.
7. You’re using a moisturiser that’s too heavy
If you think you’re solving the problem by diligently layering up your face and body cream, you could be, quite literally, masking the issue. Many of us respond to dry skin by slathering on the heaviest moisturiser we can find. Dr Rekha Tailor, Medical Director of the Health & Aesthetics Clinic, says this can do more harm than good.
“Thick and greasy moisturisers can weaken the skin’s barrier function and alter the skin’s natural function of self-hydration. The skin becomes addicted to the use of moisturiser and therefore is unable to regulate itself. It is the skin’s own self-regulation that keeps it looking youthful, therefore the need for the skin to self-regulate is extremely important.” Try these.
8. You’re applying your hyaluronic acid serum all wrong
Hyaluronic acid is the OG of skin hydrators, with a single gram holding up to six litres of water. But there is one caveat: there must be moisture in the air for it to grab onto in the first place.
So if you’re slathering hyaluronic acid onto dry skin in a room where the heating is cranked up and humidity levels are low, you could actually be drying out your skin instead. “Hyaluronic acid will draw moisture from wherever it can find it to hydrate the surface of your face, including the deeper layers of your skin if there is no humidity in the air,” says aesthetic doctor Dr Sophie Shotter.
A good solution is to create a moisture sandwich: spritz on a face mist such as Rare Beauty Always An Optimist 4-in-1 Mist or Biossance Squalane and Hyaluronic Acid Toning Mist; apply your hyaluronic acid serum and top it all off with a ceramide moisturiser to lock hydration into the skin.
9. You’re skipping SPF
SPF is a year-round requirement for obvious reasons (preventing skin cancer and protecting your skin’s DNA). But did you know that UV rays are also incredibly dehydrating for skin that already skews dry, sapping it of water? For this reason make your final layer of skincare a cream-based sunscreen with ingredients such as shea butter, glycerin and hyaluronic acid to restore moisture.
10. You’re using acne treatments and retinol
Salicylic acid is a core tenet of many on-the-spot products as it unclogs pores and reduces the inflammation that often leads to pigmentation marks. The only downside is that it can be drying, says skin and laser expert, Debbie Thomas, “which may lead to flaking and then irritation, so it is important not to overuse it and to balance active products containing salicylic acid with nourishing ones.”